Judge won't block names in Maine prostitution case

KENNEBUNK, Maine (AP) — A state judge declined to block the release of names of men accused of giving business to a fitness instructor charged with running a prostitution operation out of her Zumba fitness studio, and police in this seaside town prepared Friday to reveal the first batch of identities.

Alexis Wright, a 29-year-old fitness instructor from Wells, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, invasion of privacy, tax evasion and other charges for allegedly accepting money for sex and secretly videotaping her encounters. Her business partner, Mark Strong Sr., a 57-year-old insurance agent and private investigator from Thomaston, has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor charges for his alleged role.

Searches of Wright's studio and office turned up video recordings of sexual acts, billing information and meticulous records about clients, according to court documents.

Based on that information, Kennebunk police have been begun issuing summonses to Wright's johns on misdemeanor charges of engaging a prostitute. The first names were to be released Friday in police activity reports that are made public every other week, said Lt. Anthony Burpee.

But a lawyer for two of the men believed to be on the list asked a judge on Thursday to issue a preliminary injunction preventing the release of the names.

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